How Ford put a 1966 Mustang atop the world's tallest building

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In October 1965, Ford and the management of the Empire State Building in New York collaborated to display a new Mustang convertible on the world’s highest observation deck. Ford plans to replicate the stunt with the 2015 Mustang for two days in April.

In 1965, the Ford Mustang was all the rage. Robert Leury, vice president and general manager of the Empire State Building, saw the pony car's spectacular sales and wanted a piece of the frenzy. In the fall of 1965, Leury invited Ford division merchandising manager William Benton to meet and discuss how to pull off a headline-grabbing spectacle. What happened was one of the most outrageous examples of 1960s-era advertising moxie: plant a Mustang on the 86th floor observation deck of the world's tallest building. Photo credit: FORD

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